Ever wondered the geographical origins of such dissimilar stories as Doctor Faustus and Jaws? This map charts the evolution of four classic tales as they traversed continents, centuries, and cultures.

Advertisement

This map by Haisam Hussein from a recent issue of Lapham's Quarterly follows four famous fictions that pinballed across space and time. They are:

- Pygmalion: A man falls in love with his female creation
- Oedipus: A king unwittingly kills his father and marries his mother
- Faust : A man sells his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge
- Leviathan: A mythical sea monster terrorizes the deep

Note how both the Leviathan and Pygmalion routes end rather cheekily in Los Angeles with, respectively, Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the 1999 Freddie Prinze Jr. teen rom-com She's All That.